Wire-rope machine



A. E. ANDERSON. WIRE ROPE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-2, 1920.

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mted July 111 DNVEN Pat H] I LL .llilil NW gw Q &

rrao STATES AL BIN E. ANDERSON, 01E OAKMONT, PEI INSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OFTWO-THIRDS TO EY'VIN'D M. VERNER AND JAMES W. MACIABLANE, BOTH OFPITTSBURGH, PENN- WIRE-ROPE MACHINE.

Specification 01 Letters Patent. Patented July 111, 1922.

Application as December a, 1920. Serial No. 427,855.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBIN E. AimnRsoN, a citizen of the UnitedStates,'a-nd resident of Oakmont, in the county of Allegheny and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wire-RopeMachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description thereof.

My invention relates to machines for making wire ropes and cables and ithas for its object to provide a machine of the character indicatedwhereby a large number of wires may be combined to form rope or cable,and whereby the floor space required for the machine may be materiallyreduced as compared with prior machines for the same pur- P In myapplication for Letters Patent filed April 17, 1920, Serial No. 374,597,I have described and claimed a machine of the same general type as thatto which my present invention relates. The machine shown in thatapplication consists of a single flier frame carrying a plurality ofindividual bobbin frames, each bobbin frame operating to form a twistedstrand and the several strands from the individual bobbin frames beingthereafter combined into a larger cable. The individual boblbin framesshown in my earlier application consist of parallel bars of considerablelength between which the several bobbins are journaled. Although thisconstruction provides for a considerable reduction in floor space overmachines of the prlor art, the machines are rather long, especially whenmaking cables composed of a very large number of individual wires.

My present invention aims particularlyto secure even greater compactnessin the individual bobbin frames by arranging the bobbins circularlyaround the axis of rotation of each bobbin frame instead of insideby-side relation. In addition, my invention provides for tensioningthe wires and the twisted strands in an improved manner.

A machine constructed in accordance with my invention is shown in theaccomp drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal still ofnecessityanying elevation, with parts broken away for the sake ofclearness; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a portion of one of the flierframes showing the individual bobbin frames in detail and theiroperating gearing diagrammatically; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectionalview through one of the individual bobbin frames; Fig. 4' is a sectionalview taken axially through one of the tensioning sheaves; and Fig. 5 isa lon itudinal sectionalview through a modified orm of bobbin frame.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 2 designates a suitable base and 3designates bearing blocks which support antifriction rollers 4 whichserve as a cradle for a flier frame comp-rising spaced spider-plates 5and 6. A shaft 7, driven from any suitable source of power through apulle 8 extends centrally through the spider pliltes 5 and 6 and is keed thereto. The plates 5 and 6 are secure together by means of bolt rods9.

Mounted in the flier frame between the spider-plates 5 and 6 are aseries of individual bobbin frames 12, the machine shown being providedwith ei ht of these bobbin frames. Each bobbin I rotate on its own axisand to this end each bobbin frame has a journal 13, as shown in Fig. 3,extending through an opening 14 in the spider-plate 5, and to the outerend of the journal 13 is secured a pinion 15. Each pinion l5 meshes witha gear wheel 16 on a stub shaft 17 secured in the spider plate 5, andall of the gear wheels 16 mesh with a central gear wheel. 18 whichloosely surrounds the shaft 7 and is-held against rota-.

tion by any suitable means, not shown.

he inner end of each individual bobbin frame 12 is provided with atrunnion 20 which fits within a bearing 21 in the spider ame is mountedto axis of rotation of the bobbin frame 12, the

bobbins in each set being staggered with relation to the bobbins in theother set. The flanges 25 may all be formed in a single casting or themay be pressed from sheet metal or otherwise fabricated. It will beobserved that this arrangement wherein the bobbins. are arrangedcircularly around the axis of rotation of the bobbin frame, provides forei ht bobbins in the same space, lengthwise of the bobbin frame, whichis occupied by two bobbins. The resulting saving in the floor spacerequired by the machine is thus apparent.

Fig. 5 shows a modified form of bobbin frame carrying twelve bobbinsinstead of eight. In this-case the flanges 25 nearest the trunnion ortwister 20 are extended as shown at 42 to receive four additionalbobbins, and the wires from the bobbins nearest the twister are led offfrom the tops of the bobbins-as shown at 43, while the wires from thebobbins directly below these forward bobbins are led off from thebottoms of the bobbins, as shown at 44. This prevents the two wires fromthe adjacent 'bbins from interfering with each other. For this form ofbobbin frame the twister is of course provided with twelve openingsinstead of eight.

The bobbins 26 carry the wire from which the cable is to be formed. Whenthe ma chine here described is used as an inde endent unit the wire fromone of the b0 bins is led through the central opening 22 in the trunnion20 forming the core around which the wires from the other bobbins, whichare led through the openings 23, are wound by the indiv1dual rotation ofthe bobbin frame produced by the pinion 15 and the gear wheel 16 whichrolls upon the stationary gear wheel 18.

- Supported upon a. bracket 27 adjacent to each of the. trunnions 20 isa clamp 28 through which the twisted cable from each individual bobbinframe asses, said clamp consisting of u per and lower clamping members29 an 30 which are secured together by means of a bolt 31. The bracket27 is also provided with parallel arms 32 within which is journaled apin 33 carrying a guiding and tensioning sheave 34 around which thetwisted strand or cable 35, coming from the clamp 28, is given acomplete turn, as shown in Fig. 4. The pin 33 is provided at one endwith a head 36 and is screw-threaded at its other end to receive anadjusting nut 37 and a lock nut 38. A friction disk 39, suitably ofleather, is laced between the head 36 and the adjacent bearing, and aspring 39 is compressed between oneof the bearings 32 and a washer 40adjacent to the adjusting nut 37. By suitably adjusting the tension ofthe spring 39 the sheave 34 is given a suitable fricaround the bobbinson guide rollers, as in the machine shown in my earlier applicationmentioned above.

The strands 35, after leaving the sheaves 34, pass to a twister head 45journaled in a stationary standard 46 where the strands 35 are laidaround a core strand 47 which passes through a central passage in theshaft 7. The finished cable asses around a drum 48 and thence to asuitable reel.

The machine which I have shown and described not only saves a great dealof floor space but is greatly condensed in comparison with cablemachines of the prior art and the cost of construction is therebyreduced.

I claim as my invention.

' 1. In a machine for making wire cable, the combination of a rotatableflier frame and a plurality of individually rotatable bobbin framescarried by the said flier frame, each of the said bobbin framescomprisin means for carrying a lurality of rotata 1e bobbins in two paralel sets the axis of the bobbins in each set being arranged on the sidesof a polygon around the axis of rotation of the bobbin frame, thebobbins in one set being stag cred with respect to the bobbins inthe oter set.

2. In a machine for making wire cable, the combination of a rotatableflier frame and a dplurality of individual bobbin frames carrie by thesaid flier frame, each of the said bobbin frames comprising a pluralityof sets of parallel flanges arranged in perpendicular pairs adapted tocarry a plurality of sets of bobbins, and means for supporting thebobbins between the said flanges.

3. In a machine for making wire cable, the combination of a rotatableflier frame and a plurality of individual bobbin frames carried by thesaid flier frame, each of the.

said bobbin frames comprising an integral porting bobbins between thebobbinscarried member having four pairs of parallel flanges by the firstmentioned set of flanges. 10 symmetrically arranged around the axis ofIn testimony whereof, I the said ALBIN rotation of the said bobbinframe, each pair E. ANDERSON have hereunto set In hand.

of the said flanges being provided with bear- ALBIN E. ANDE SON. ingsfor receiving a bobbin, and additional Witnesses: flanges projectingforward from the said ROBT. D. To'r'rEN,

plate and provided with bearings for sup- JOHN F. WILL.

